St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-05-05
Continuation of the Unseemly Wrangle in
the Lower House of the British
Parliament
An Evident Intention on the Part Of the
Government to Entrap the
Parnellites,
Who Decline to swallow the Bait
Dangled Right Under Their
Noses.
The Conditions on Which Dillon VIII
Take Issue With the London
Times.

Smith, first lord OF the treasury, announced
in the house of commons this afternoon
that the government had resolved that the
allegation that the statement by the Lon
don Times that Mr.. Dillon told falsehood
while denying in the house OF commons
that papers utteranceS concerning his al
legged relations with Sheridan, the Invinci-
BILE, was q breach of privilege, was not SuS-
tanned by precedent.
Continuing, Mr.. Smith said it would be
against the dignity of tine house to summon
the Times to the bar without previously in
quiring into the circumstances. The gem
tlemen below the gangway, Mr.. Smith
added asked that a select committee be
constituted to inquire forthwith into the
allegations of the Times. The practice OF
the house had been to diyeSr itself as far as
possible of judicial duty. The government
thought such a committee as was asked for
would be untitled to consider such grave
questions as would have to be referred to it
Tor decision. The government feeling it to
be their duty to endeavor to solve the QueS-
ton, had instructed the attorney general
and such others as he cared to associate
with him to prosecute the Times for the
libel on Mr.. Dillon, who was at liberty to
select such counsel as he saw fit. In con-
clusion Mr.. Smith urged the house to ac-
cept the course proposed.
T. p. O'COnnor condemned the govern
ment'S proposal. He produced copy of
the Times containing the libel on Mr.
Dillon, and. tlOurishing it aloft. said:
purchased this copy of the Times at one
of the book stalls owned by the right honor
able first lord of the treasury. 1t is he,speak-
ing for the government, who says no breach
of privilege was committed. Irish cheers.
He is, therefore deeply interested as party
~. ,fr,cf nA;t of no Uin1nS
The two men ought to be in the dock to-
gether The Irish members reject his pro-
posa as unfail, unjust and unprecedented.
The house OF commons ought not to be taken
in by collusive action.
Here Edwin p. Delisle, Conservative
member for e-Leicestershire. rose to
a point of order. He said he had heard
Charles Dean Tanner. home rule member
for Middle Cork say:
The Conservatives were damned lot of
cads.
(Voices-So are you.)
Speaker Peel-The clerk of the house will
please see that the words are taken down.
Mr.. Tanner denied that he had used the
word damned" He repeated, however,
that the Conservatives were
A LOT OF CADS.
The speaker said he must withdraw the
explanation and apologize. Mr.. Tanner
said he would do so. Sir William Vernon
Harcourt denounced the governments
proposal. Sir William Clark, solicitor
general, moved an amendment to the gov
enment's proposal to the effect that the
house did not consider the Times state
ments concerning Mr.. Dillon breach of
privilege. Justifying his action in offering
the amendment he declared that there was
no record of parliament having committed
a man to custody for breach of privilege,
such as the action of the Times was now
alleged to be. He added that he, and not
the attorney general, was responsible for the
advice on which the government has acted.
He proposed to contine himself to the legal
points of the case, regardless of party poll
tics. He then quoted presidents to show
that the house was not the proper tribunal
to deal with such matters, no corruption
having been alleged of member, nor had
any contempt of the house been exhibited,
such as had constituted the offense in pre-
vious cases where breach of privilege had
been committed. The course of the prose-
cution. the solicitor general said, would be
left to such persons as the Irish memb--
might nominate, both council and solicitors.
If the government was asked to appoint
them they would interpOse no objection.
In conclusion he slightly modified his
amendment making it read that the house
declines to treat the Times publication as
breach OF privilege.
SIR CHARLES RUSSELL,
Liberal, contended that DillOn's conduct in
the house had been attacked, and that fact
constituted breach of privilege. 1t was
the duty of the house, primarily incumbent
on the government leader of the house
(Smith), to take action to protect the honor
of its members. The course pro-
posed by the governments motion
was an evasion of his duty. The
question was not so much whether
a committee should be appointed as to
whether the house intended to pass by the
imputaton against Dillon and say before
the world that fragrant as the offense was
it was not of such character as constituted
a breach of privilege. Lord Randolph
Churchill admitted that the case presented
prima facie breach Of privilege, but he
thought the house was not refusing judi
cial inquiry The only difference was
az to the form of inquiry
TO be adopted. He regarded a resort to the
ordinary tribunals of law as one that would
afford a far better remedy than could be OBJ
tanned from action by the house. He de-
precated the attack made by O'Connor on
the government leader in the house. No
one outside of O'Connors own circle
could be expected to sympathze with
him in Sucn an assault. 1t was utterly
nnjustifiable. From the very language
used, Smith could we'll afford to ignore the
assault. Cheers. If the government
leader in the house was charged with not
taking primary action for breach of priv.
eye committed against one of its mem-
bers,
HE COULD RETORT
kboI ~ fho e.
ought to have been expected to protect hi.
friends. having taken the lead outside the
house in agitation for the repeal of the
union. Cheers.
Gladstone emphatcally repudiate the
assertion of his lordship.
Lord Randolph responded: cit il
true, however" He then proceeded
to argue that it would be unwis
for the house to go beyond the action tn
government had proposed. The action o
the house if the Times publishers Shout,
be brought before the bar would in no-wis
curb or control the great power welded b.
the press of the country.
Mr.. Storey Radical and newspaper pro
prietor: You can try to suppress the pres
of Ireland. Pamellite cheers.
Lord Randolph Churchill-How would
committee of inquiry be constituted? Woul'
it be proposed that a member of the Ma
tional league be put upon it? Cries 0
"Certainly."
Churchill-If so there would be nothin,
in the whole history of jury packing lik'
it. Cheers. Besides the powers o
the committee would not be equal t.
those of a court of law. Tn
committee indeed would be hopelessly in
competent to settle such question of Law
as court could. In court the prosecu
ton would proceed at the cost of the coun